Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-01-08
A NoRRoR,.
Two Trans Colllde-Passengers
Burned to Death.

morning the west bound fast train on the
Baltimore q Ohio road, collided with a
freight train one half mile west of Repub-
lie. The express was running at a speed
not less h a sixty miles an hour. The
freight eastward bound had expected to
make a siding at Republic and was prob
ably making q rate of speed not less than
were run into each other as one stove
pipe fits into lis mate, and all That could
be seen was n chaotic mass of brass,
iron and steel. At an early hour there
were hundreds OF people coming to the
scene of the disaster ready and willingto
do what they could, but it appears that
just as soom as the Baltimore q Ohio
agents could get to the place where the
wreck occurred for some reason they
county the wounded, dead and dying.
Your correspondent was only permitted
to see four persons that had escaped the
ho. 0caust, in which it is believed that
there were at least twenty-five bodies
burnt into a sickening, cispy mass of
flesh and bones beyond all possible re-
cognition. From the report Of a survivor
1t would appear that a number of unfor-
tunates were so perfectly incinderated
from the debris. The sight was most
%forbidding. It has been reported that the
engineers on this road are overworked.
The ground was covered with snow and
and III collision occurred ONE mile from
town and nearly half of y mile from any
dwelling. The charred remains Of the
express messenger consisted simply of
The two thigh bones, which were found
in the debris of the car. The engineer
engine and jumped for the n bank.
The engineer OF The express reversed his
and sprang to the left. The fireman en-
deavored to get out to the right, but being
overcome with fright fell close to his
crushed engine and was burned to death.
The engines Of the two trains reared
into the air like a pair of enraged living
monsters and then settled down upon the
track, driven into each other until the
utes fro'L. the moment of the collision
and before any organized effort at rescue
could be made, the fire of the overturned
stoves communicates to the wood work
and the flames leaped high into the air,
their roar mingling with the cries Of an
guish of the Imprisoned victims. The
train men and uninjured passengers
could do nothing to rescue the sufferers.
The smoker contained from twelve to
fifteen passengers, some Of whom were
immigrants. Three men escaped alive,
but their names were not learned. Bag
gage-master w. F. Gates, of Newark, was
the only man in his car and he was hurt
in both legs. G. P. Bradley. Of Washing
ington, D. c., was found hanging from
the window of q smoker, but his legs
were fast and he could not be removed.
He was conscious and gave his address
to the bystanders and also said he was an
officer of the Knights of Labor. He gave
his watch and other valuables to Conduc-
tor Fletcher. Joseph P~ostlethwait, aged
81, and his soils, Spencer, aged Is, and
Henry, aged II, were sitting In the same
seat in the smoker and their charred re-
mains were found in the ruins of tho car.
About $500 in cash, and q check for $500
and several notes were in his pockets,
and these were burned with his body,
leaving his poor widow with three chill.
dren who were saved from the wreck,
with no clothing except what she wore
and fifty cents in money. VIM. Fred
ericks, fireman of the express, was caught
between the tender and engine and lived
for two hours, but it was found impossi-
BILE to effect his release. Mr.. r. Parks,
whose address could not lie learned, was
also wedge in the wreck and burned to
death after handing his money, letters
and cards to one of the railroad employees.